Nurses celebrate National Nurse Practitioner Week and call for scope expansion to improve access to the health system

Toronto, Nov. 10. In honour of National Nurse Practitioner (NP) Week (Nov. 7 – 13), the Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario (RNAO) is proud to highlight the critical role of NPs in improving access to care for all, especially persons marginalized by inequity.

Help us reach 8,000 signatories! Action Alert: Repeal Bill 124, premier!

Bill 124, passed by the Ford government in 2019, caps compensation increases for a broad range of public sector workers, including nurses, at just one per cent. The average inflation rate in Ontario was 4.0 per cent for the past 12 months, so nurses were treated to a decrease in their real income of 3.0%. Pushing down substantially the compensation for nurses and other primarily female essential workers (i.e., police and firefighters excluded) during a pandemic is not only reckless policy – it is also insulting.

RNAO’s continuing media profile: The May report

RNAO continues to be active in the media to keep nurses, other health providers and the public informed of our views and advise during these challenging times. This month, we spoke out on many important issues, including long-term care (LTC), vaccinations, nurse burnout and the measures required to bring an end to the pandemic.

The immediate exemption of nurses and other health-care workers from Bill 124

RNAO calls on Premier Doug Ford to immediately exempt nurses and other health-care workers from Bill 124: "An act to implement moderation measures in respect of compensation in Ontario’s public sector". Health-care workers that fall under Bill 124 will emerge from this pandemic not just exhausted and burnt out, but also with a loss of income in real terms.